Poll: Only 22 Percent of Miamians Support Dolphin Stadium Upgrades

The Miami Dolphins' quest to secure public funds to upgrade their stadium might have gotten good news out of Tallahassee last night, but their chances of getting the public to approve a referendum remain slim.

According to a new poll, only 22 percent of Miami-Dade citizens support the plan, making it one of the least popular initiatives in the county.

According to the survey, conducted by Armando Ibarra for TeleMiami, 63 percent of local likely voters oppose the plan. As Political Cortadito points out, that stat is a bit better than one revealed two months ago, when a poll conducted by an FIU professor found opposition at 73 percent. Still, things aren't exactly looking good for the Fins.

The proposal is much more unpopular than other controversial initiatives being considered, such as legalizing gambling and hiking sewer fees to help fix the county's aging infrastructure.

However, Eric Jotkoff, a spokesman for the Miami First Coalition (a PAC created to support the initiative) called into question the pollster's credentials and predicts the Fins will emerge victorious in the May 14 election.

"As voters across Miami-Dade have learned about the unprecedented partnership to modernize Sun Life Stadium and create over 4,000 jobs, our support continues to grow," he told Cortadito. "We are confident that on May 14, Miami-Dade residents will speak loudly when they vote for modernizing Sun Life Stadium."